The Los Angeles Rams are running out of time, and the NFL power rankings are not waiting for them. Six weeks into the 2026 season, the preseason Super Bowl favourites are 2-4 after losing at home to the Arizona Cardinals as 12.5-point favourites — and history is firmly against them. No NFL team has ever started a season 2-4 and gone on to reach the Super Bowl, let alone win it. After the defeat, Rams head coach Sean McVay delivered a blunt verdict: “We won’t win a game unless we figure out how to not beat ourselves.”
The loss to Arizona was the kind that sets alarm bells ringing. The Rams fell to a Cardinals side that was 1-4 coming in and did not even score a touchdown. It was the low point of a miserable start that has included a win over a Giants team that lost quarterback Jaxson Dart in the first quarter, and a narrow victory over the 2-4 Eagles that needed two touchdowns in the final four minutes. At 2-4, the Rams sit near the bottom of the NFC West behind the unbeaten 49ers, and the latest NFL power rankings reflect just how far they have fallen.
The injury news made a bad week worse. McVay revealed on Monday that star receiver Davante Adams ruptured his hamstring and will miss six to 10 weeks. With depth behind Puka Nacua and Adams already a concern going into the season, the Rams could now play most of the rest of the campaign without one of their two reliable receivers. As Sports Illustrated’s odds-based rankings noted, Los Angeles was a top-10 team in the NFL power rankings through the first few weeks; that standing has now completely flipped.
NFL power rankings show the Rams tumbling after the Cardinals loss
The week-to-week drops tell the story of a team in freefall. In the aggregate tracked by TheRams.com, NFL.com’s Nick Shook has Los Angeles at No. 24, down from 12; ESPN dropped them from 8 to 14; Yahoo’s Frank Schwab slid them from 10 to 15; Bleacher Report from 10 to 17; and Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano from 9 to 16. Pro Football Talk’s Week 7 rankings at NBC Sports have the Rams at No. 17, down seven spots, noting that “the 13th overall pick should’ve been used on a receiver.” Touchdown Wire’s rankings have them even lower at No. 24, while the Sports Illustrated consensus NFL power rankings place the Rams 18th of 32 teams.
NFL power rankings keep the 49ers and Chiefs on top
At the top of nearly every set of NFL power rankings, there is little debate. The San Francisco 49ers are 6-0, received all eight first-place votes in the consensus rankings, and remain in complete control of the NFC West ahead of their Monday night meeting with Washington. The Kansas City Chiefs are 5-0 and second everywhere, with PFT noting that Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III has been the NFL’s MVP so far. The Buffalo Bills (5-1), Minnesota Vikings (5-0) and Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2) round out most top fives. The Denver Broncos have climbed back into the top five after beating the defending champions on Thursday night for their second straight win, while the Chicago Bears are up to 4-2 with Caleb Williams back at quarterback and looking like a juggernaut again. The Carolina Panthers sit in control of the NFC South at 3-2 behind Bryce Young, who is earning a big contract two years after being benched.
NFL power rankings outlook: can the Rams still make the playoffs?
The question haunting the Rams is whether a 2-4 start can be salvaged. The NFC West looks daunting: the 49ers are 6-0, the Seahawks are 3-3, and even the Cardinals — fresh off beating Los Angeles — sit alongside the Rams at 2-4. With Adams sidelined for up to 10 weeks and injuries mounting, the path to the postseason keeps getting tougher. Week 7 brings bye weeks for Buffalo, Jacksonville, the Los Angeles Chargers and Washington, but the Rams get no such breather. To climb back into the NFL power rankings and the playoff picture, McVay’s side must stop beating themselves — starting now, before the season slips away entirely.